How to Judge a Dog

First of all, the judge studies the dog breed and secondly, balances the good points with the bad ones. While evaluating the lineage and breed, the judge must also take into consideration the dog's temper and good physical condition. In addition, it is important that the dog have the correct type and the finer details are considered as second place importance. Thus, a dog may not be awarded a prize superior to that which it deserves, however it may be entitled to a lower ranking one if an a more detailed examination reveals severe details in the dog. It is important that the differences in the breed depending on the gender are made clearly.

The movement that is intimately related with the type of dog should be observed carefully as part of the initial evaluation. The movement is not purely and simply an external detail, rather part of the anatomy of the dog. Therefore, the evaluation of its movement consists in confirming the conclusions made regarding the physical aspects of the dog. Incidentally, when the dog is walked, we should not do it in an over enthusiastically manner, which occurs with some breeds. A dog show is a beauty contest, not a race nor a test of resistance for the dog or the breeder.

The judge should pay a lot of attention to the dog's temperament and to its general behavior, and should carry out appropriate tests. However, those tests should not be too difficult, within the space provided for the show; the dog should not have to carry out more than the visual and hearing perceptions within their daily life. For those dogs in which it is difficult or impossible to judge due to their behavior, their score should be a zero, not taking into account their physical merits.

The manner in which a dog is presented generally influences in the impression the animal makes on the judge. Nevertheless, a noisy or finicky presentation of the contestants should not be encourage, and the judge has the authority to control exaggerated circumstances and, if necessary, prohibit "impeach and terminate" them. The dog should be shown with a non restricting leash and, if possible, the care-taker must not touch it.

The manner in which a dog has been styled should not influence in the qualitative judgment, unless it interferes with enabling an evaluation of its hair.

In a quality judgment acquired defects may be forgiven, as long as their nature does not inhibit the carrying out of an exact judgment. When dogs are judged in a competition against one another, the acquired defects may influence in the final result, according to the extent in which they have affected the general impression of the dog.